Children's drinking cups are frequently provided with removable lids to help prevent spills. A typical lid has a drinking spout, which is adjacent to the edge of the lid and extends from the upper surface of the lid. A child places the drinking spout in his/her mouth to sip from the cup; hence the name “sippy cup”. Typically, the lid snaps or screws on the cup, and the drinking spout has a slot or one or more holes through which a liquid in the cup flows when the cup is inverted. Some sippy cups are equipped with a valve, which only allows liquid to flow through the drinking spout when a child applies suction to the drinking spout. Sippy cups typically come with two handles, one on each side of the cup with the drinking spout positioned midway between the two handles, or no handles. Some sippy cups without handles have a region of smaller diameter or other ergonomic feature for gripping. Sippy cups with two handles are typically recommended for younger children, such as children under 12 months of age, whereas sippy cups without handles are typically recommended for older children, such as children over 12 months of age.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,075 discloses a drinking cup having a spill-proof lid and a container. In one embodiment, the lid screws onto the container by means of a threaded engagement. In another embodiment, the lid is friction-fit onto the container. While the friction-fit engagement is described as advantageous over the threaded engagement because the drinking orifice may be rotated and positioned anywhere with respect to the handle for ease of drinking, no positions of the drinking orifice relative to the handle are described, let alone positions of the drinking orifice relative to the handle for ease of drinking U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,784 discloses a sippy cup with a snap-on lid. The snap-on lid has a drinking spout with multiple open holes reportedly sized to resist leakage in the absence of suction and a valve. See, also, U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,826.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,182 also discloses a sippy cup with a snap-on lid. The combination of an annular ring and an annular groove reportedly seal the container from leakage. Squeeze tabs on the snap-on lid reportedly aid removal of the lid. The sippy cup is described as having an ergonomic shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,642 discloses a sippy cup that includes a valve insert. The valve insert has a sheath and a stabilizing core, which is more rigid than the sheath. The valve insert reportedly prevents leakage of liquid from the container when no suction is applied to the drinking spout.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,877 discloses a sippy cup with an internal partition. The internal partition is angled toward the mouth of the sippy cup to decrease the amount of tilt required to dispense the entirety of the liquid from the sippy cup.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0006184 discloses a sippy cup with a hinged lid. The hinge is adjacent to the drinking spout.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0257845 discloses a baby bottle container. The container includes a cap and a bottle. The bottle has a weighted end piece, which includes a smooth, curved hemispherical surface and biases the bottle body to an upright position.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0223969 discloses a combination of a cup and a lid assembly. The lid assembly includes a band secured on the top of the cup, a lid secured on the band, and a tether having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the band, and the second end is connected to the lid.
Various designs for sippy cups are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D559,622, D559,624, D579,721, D579,722, and D632133. The designs of U.S. Pat. Nos. D559,622 and D632,133 do not include a handle, whereas the design of U.S. Pat. No. D559,624 includes two, open handles, one on each side of the cup with the drinking spout disposed between the two open handles, the open ends of which face downward. The designs of U.S. Pat. No. D579,721 and D579,722 include two, open handles, one on each side of the cup with the drinking spout disposed between the two open handles, the open ends of which face upward. Yet another design is disclosed in GR3031664; that design includes a central opening in a cylindrical cup resulting in tubular sections, one on each side of a drinking spout in the lid, which can be grasped as handles.
The website “oneinhundred.com” offers a silver-plated sippy cup that includes a single handle. The plastic lid includes a drinking spout that is positioned at a 90° angle from the handle. See, also, similar silver-plated sippy cups offered by the websites “cornerstorkbabygifts.com” and “engravingshop.com.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,538 discloses a plastic beverage bottle holder. The bottle holder is described as specifically designed for use in combination with plastic beverage bottles by persons with reduced hand strength and motor skills due to age, infirmities, and disease.
In view of the above, there remains a need for a drinking container with a handle on a cup maintained below an opening in a lid. It is an object of the present disclosure to provide such a drinking container. This and other objects and advantages, as well as inventive features, will become apparent from the detailed description provided herein.